Decrease in Smoking Prevalence—Minnesota, 1999–2010

February 11, 2011 / Vol. 60 / No. 05

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MMWR Highlights

Changes in Smoking Behavior in Minnesota (1999–2010)

• Adult cigarette smoking prevalence: down 27.1%
• Per capita cigarette sales: down 40%
• Smoking restrictions in homes: up 35.2%

Smoking Prevalence

• Minnesota adult smoking prevalence declined steadily from 22.1% in 1999 to 16.1% in 2010, a 27.1% decrease.

Smoking Behavior

• Significant changes in smoking behavior also occurred in Minnesota during the past decade.
• The daily average number of cigarettes smoked by current smokers decreased from 14.3 in 1999 to 12.2 in 2010.
• The proportion of current smokers who smoked ≥ 25 cigarettes per day decreased steadily, from 14.3% in 1999 to 6.3% in 2010.
• From 2007 to 2010, the proportion of current smokers who smoked ≤ 15 cigarettes per day increased from 54.1% to 63.2%.

Cigarette Sales

• The decrease in both smoking prevalence and cigarettes smoked per day corresponds with a decrease in sales of cigarettes; per capita cigarette pack sales in Minnesota decreased 40% between 1999 and 2009.

Secondhand Smoke

• The percentage of Minnesota residents who reported that someone had smoked near them in the past 7 days in any location dropped steadily from 2003 to 2010:
  • 67.2% in 2003 (before any large municipalities banned indoor smoking)
  • 56.7% in 2007 (just before the statewide ban)
  • 45.5% in 2010
• An increasing number of Minnesota residents reported smoke-free rules in their homes (i.e., smoking not allowed anywhere inside the home):
  • 64.5% in 1999
  • 74.8% in 2003
  • 83.2% in 2007
  • 87.2% in 2010

Background

• The Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey (MATS) is a telephone survey designed to collect data about tobacco use and attitudes from a representative sample of the entire civilian, non-institutionalized adult population in Minnesota.
• MATS was implemented in 1999 to measure the effects of tobacco-related policies and programs by monitoring trends in the use of tobacco products in the state.